This invention relates generally to a bacon assembly and method of making a bacon assembly. More particularly, the present invention relates to a bacon assembly made from a plurality of conventional slices or strips of bacon which are welded together and a method making such a bacon assembly.
Changing tastes of consumers and marketing trends of restaurants, and particularly fast food restaurants have led to the increased use of bacon in prepared food products. For example, hamburgers which are marketed through fast food restaurants are often sold as "bacon burgers", wherein slices of bacon are served along with a hamburger. The popularity of "bacon burgers attest to the desirability of the combination which provides the consumer with a unique tasting hamburger. It has also become popular for restaurants to provide the consumer with the option of adding bacon to other sandwiches.
In addition to the unique taste provided by the bacon, the addition of the bacon to sandwiches provides the sellers with a powerful advertising and marketing tool for his products. Consumers prefer to be provided with a variety of options in their food selection. By selling and marketing a sandwich which includes a product as popular as bacon, the seller may have a significant advantage over other sellers who do not provide such an option.
Generally, these so called bacon burgers are made by simply placing two or three small slices of bacon on top of a hamburger patty, between the hamburger patty and the bun on which the hamburger is served. This arrangement, although simple to implement, has several disadvantages. First, it is desirable to present the consumer with a product with which the consumer feels that he/she will receive a bite of bacon in every bite of the hamburger (or other sandwich). By simply placing two or three small slices of bacon on top of the hamburger patty, only a portion of the hamburger patty will be covered by the bacon. In addition, since the bacon is provided in small separate slices, when the consumer bites into the hamburger he/she may remove the entire slice of bacon from the hamburger with a single bite. Second, since the bacon is served in small strips and is not bonded together in any particular fashion, the bacon strips may inadvertently fall to the side of the hamburger patty, thus leaving the consumer with an uncovered portion of the hamburger patty.
To this end some efforts have been devoted to developing a bacon patty which will cover the entire hamburger patty. For example, a circular bacon patty has been developed which is adapted to cover the entire surface of a hamburger patty of a predetermined size. Although this presents the consumer with a bite of bacon in every bite of the hamburger, it is not without disadvantages. First, the process to make the hamburger patty is relatively expensive and time consuming. To manufacture such a bacon patty, a green pork belly is generally injected with a curing solution and then inserted into a massaging or tumbling machine to extract the protein from the belly. The extracted protein is sticky and thus functions as a glue-like material. Typically, the tumbled product is then inserted into a solenoidal casing (typically approximately seven inches in diameter and twenty-four inches long). The entire casing is subsequently inserted into an oven or smokehouse and heated to an internal predetermined temperature. This process causes the protein to bind thus producing a sausage-shaped product. After the entire product has been heated it is chilled to approximately 18.degree. to 20.degree. F. and the casing is then removed. The sausage-shaped product may then be sliced and packaged for distribution to restaurants. The restaurants may then use the slices by removing them from the package and cooking them with a flat iron.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, this process is a time consuming and relatively expensive process for the simple purpose for producing a patty-like bacon assembly.
An additional disadvantage to the bacon patty manufactured by this process is that when the bacon patty is incorporated into the finished product (i.e. the hamburger), the consumer may not always see the bacon, since the bun or other top bread covering will conceal the bacon patty. The consumer will typically have to remove the top portion of the bun to be assured that he has in fact received his chosen selection. Thus, although the consumer will likely get a bite of bacon with every bite of the hamburger, this arrangement is not particularly advantageous from a marketing view point. Consumers would prefer to readily see the bacon on the hamburger to be assured that they have received the correct product (a bacon burger for example). Further, since consumers are not accustomed to seeing round slices of bacon, they may perceive the round bacon patty as not being "real bacon".
One improved method of making bacon assemblies is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,911 to Bush et al. The Bush et al. patent discloses a method wherein bacon slices are assembled in a desired configuration and then transported on a conveyor belt into a continuous microwave oven where the slices are "welded" together where they overlap.
Although the method disclosed in the Bush et al. patent has been commercially successful, it is desirable to make a similar welded bacon assembly without the need for a microwave oven. It, however, has been believed that the "welds" could be formed only with microwave energy.
Therefore, in view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bacon assembly which may be made from conventional slices of bacon.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bacon assembly which may be made from conventional slices of bacon which will cover a substantial portion of the surface area of a hamburger patty or other sandwich.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a bacon assembly which may be made from conventional slices of bacon which the consumer can readily visualize when it is placed in the finished product.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a method of making a bacon assembly from conventional slices of bacon in a relatively inexpensive matter.